This summer’s biggest news came from Iceland, Lithuania, and above all the United Kingdom, where an old trauma was finally laid to rest, while the birding world also said goodbye to a true legend.

Overview

British Isles

It feels only fitting to begin with Bill Oddie, who passed away last month. The international birding community has lost one of its most charismatic and influential figures. Bill possessed outstanding field skills and a remarkable talent for sharing his enthusiasm for birds and nature with a broad audience. In doing so, he inspired countless birders while helping to foster a wider appreciation of birds and their conservation. Many will remember his television programmes and his books, including Bill Oddie’s Little Black Birdbook and Gripping Yarns, in which he combined wit, humour, and an appreciation of the many absurdities of the birding world. He was also a loyal reader and enthusiastic supporter of Dutch Birding. Bill Oddie died at the age of 85, but his legacy will continue for many years to come.

Bill Oddie (middle), with, from left to right, Killian Mullarney, René Pop, Magnus Robb and Dick Forsman, Birdfair, Rutland Water, Engeland, 18 August 2018 (René Pop)

Completely unexpectedly, two Long-tailed Shrikes were found in the UK, constituting the country's second and third records. A first-summer male was seen in Fife, Scotland, from 5–8 July. For most twitchers this required a considerable journey, yet it still attracted a huge number of visitors.

Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach, Fife, Scotland, 7 July (Mark Begg)

Anyone who decided against the long drive to Scotland was unexpectedly given a second chance when another Long-tailed Shrike was reported in Gloucestershire, central England. The bird initially appeared to have disappeared, but it was relocated on 19 July, triggering what may have been an even bigger twitch. It was later established that the bird had already been present since 9 July and remained into August.

Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach, Eastleach Martin, England, 19 July (Graham Jepson)

The first British record dates back to 3–4 November 2000, when a Long-tailed Shrike was found on the remote Outer Hebrides. That observation became one of the most infamous stories in British twitching history. Not only did very few birders manage to reach the bird in time, with atrocious weather and the realisation that it had probably been present since October, but the events during the trip became legendary. The first group of birders chartered a fishing boat to reach the island where the bird was staying, but the vessel suffered engine failure en route. Drifting helplessly towards the rocky coastline, the crew was forced to issue a mayday call. A coordinated air and sea rescue operation brought everyone safely ashore - without any of them seeing the Long-tailed Shrike. Twitchers arriving later that day on the scheduled ferry were rewarded with excellent views. Twenty-six years later, it seems this trauma has finally been put to rest. Many British birders made two lengthy journeys to Scotland this month, as a highly twitchable Blue-cheeked Bee-eater was present on the Orkney Islands from 11 July into August. The bird moved between several islands during its stay. It represents the first readily twitchable record in the UK since many years.

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Merops persicus, Papa Westray, Orkney, Scotland, 14 July (Sam Viles)

The Hudsonian Godwit that had been found in Portugal at the end of June was surprisingly relocated on the southeast coast of England on 1 July. Photographs of the bird’s left side revealed the same distinctive upperwing coverts pattern, including two matching pale brown spots, as well as an identical dark feather shaft and subterminal band. The undertail pattern also matched. Although the bird disappeared after only a few hours, it was relocated once again. From 12 July into August, it remained slightly farther south along the Suffolk coast. This constitutes the eighth British record.

Hudsonian Godwit Limosa haemastica, Cattawade, England, 13 July (Jake Gearty)

Since the first record in 2019, the Brown Booby has become an almost annual visitor to the UK. An immature bird was seen on 14 July at the famous Bempton Cliffs in northeast England. The ever-popular Western Reef Heron remained in southern Wales until 27 July, while the Least Tern continued to be present near Baltray, Ireland, until 18 July.

Northern Europe

An American Tree Sparrow was discovered near Kjós, Iceland, from 10 July onwards. If accepted, it will represent the second Western Palearctic record, following the Swedish bird in November 2016. Its acceptance, however, is not yet certain. Shortly after the discovery, it emerged that an American Tree Sparrow had also been observed aboard the cruise ship Celebrity Silhouette. The bird was seen from Canadian waters until it left the vessel in Reykjavík Bay on 3 July. It seems likely that this was the same individual, although conclusive evidence, such as a detailed photographic comparison, has yet to be produced. A nice challenge for the Icelandic rarities committee.

American Tree Sparrow Spizelloides arborea, Kjósarhreppur, Iceland, 12 July (Eyjólfur Matthíasson)

A South Polar Skua was photographed south of Iceland on 28 June. Almost ten years after the previous record, a Cedar Waxwing was recorded again in the Western Palearctic. The bird was seen briefly on 4 July at Vatnsoyrar on Vágar, representing the first record for the Faroe Islands and the 16th for the Western Palearctic. The bird was documented by a couple using a mobile phone, with only a single photograph obtained. The apparent "round object" beneath the eye is most likely either a photographic artefact or feathers blown upwards by the strong wind.

Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum, Vatnsoyrar, Vágar, Faroer, 4 July (Lydia Nielsen)

A Ring-billed Gull paired with a Common Gull in Stockholm, Sweden, appears to represent the third breeding record of Ring-billed Gull in the Western Palearctic, following earlier records from Northern Ireland in 2004 and Russia in 2022. DNA analysis could determine whether the two chicks were indeed fathered by the Ring-billed Gull or by a second Common Gull that regularly visited the nest during the early stages of breeding.

The Netherlands

The star bird of the month was the country's eighth Red-necked Stint. Sadly, it was not only difficult to access, it also proved to be yet another one-day record, as all previous records of this species in the Netherlands.

Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis, Marker Wadden, The Netherlands (Maarten Hotting)

Two birds discovered last month were rediscovered at different sites this month: The country's fourth Great Knot, originally found in Zeeland on 21 June, was relocated on the island of Texel on 4 July, some 200 km north of its original location. It remained there until 12 July.

Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris, De Bol, Texel, The Netherlands, 8 July (Pieter Hilgeman)

The White-tailed Plover first found at Zevenhuizen on 22 June was rediscovered some 35 km further southwest at the Haringvliet, where it remained from 17 to 19 July.

White-tailed Lapwing Vanellus leucurus, Haringvliet, The Netherlands, 18 July (Ludo van Dorst)

Central Europe

France produced only long-staying rarities this month, with the Bridled Tern and Elegant Tern remaining on the islands south of Brittany, while the Western Reef Heron continued its stay along the west coast. On 31 July, Belgium's second Least Sandpiper was discovered near Uitkerke, viewed from the 'Grutto' bird hide. Over the following days, the hide was packed with birders from Belgium and abroad, many of whom had either missed the country's first record in 1996 or were eager to add a fresh sighting to their lists.

Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla, Uitkerke, Belgium, 1 August (Bruno Portier)

A second photograph of this bird, a species yet to be recorded in The Netherlands, won't hurt.

Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla, Uitkerke, Belgium, 1 August (Bruno Portier)

More remarkable news came from Belgium, where the mysterious 'shrike spec.' found in Belgian Limburg in April last year has now been identified through DNA analysis. It proved to be a Desert Grey Shrike, belonging either to the elegans or koenigi taxon, which occur in North Africa and the Canary Islands, respectively. As far as known, there are no previous records of either taxon outside the Maghreb region.

Eastern Europe

Lithuania's first White-winged Lark was seen briefly on 8 July. The digiscoped mobile phone photographs provide sufficient evidence (left-hand image below), but with the capabilities of generative AI today, almost anything is possible (right-hand image below). Is this acceptable if clearly labelled, or should it be considered an absolute no-go? Fascinating or dangerous? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

White winged Lark Alauda leucoptera, Viešintos, Lithuania, 8 July; left: original; right: processed with AI (Augustas Šimkus)

Southern Europe

Spain hosted only long-staying rarities, including the Moroccan-tagged White-backed Vulture, seen intermittently near Campo do Oso, the Elegant Tern, still present near Valencia, and four Western Reef Herons, located on Mallorca, near Vigo, near Valencia, and in the Ebro Delta. Along the Sicilian coast, a West African Crested Tern was observed on 24–25 July. If accepted, it will represent Italy's first record.

West African Crested Tern Sterna albidorsalis, Sicily, Italy, 24 July (Simone Bellomo)

The Pacific Swift reappeared at the end of July in the neighbouring village of Eppan an der Weinstraße, next to the village where it was discovered last year in South Tirol, Italy.

North Africa

A Short-billed Dowitcher was found on Boavista, Cape Verde, on 2–3 July. Following last autumn's record on Sal, this represents the second record for the archipelago.

SHort-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus griseus, Boavista, Cape Verde, 3 July (Tiago Guerreiro)

Cape Verde's third Saharan Olivaceous Warbler was recorded on Sal from 19–21 July. This little-known taxon belongs to the Eastern Olivaceous Warbler complex.

Saharan Olivaceous Warbler Iduna pallida reisseri, Sal, Cape Verde, 19 July (Uwe Thom)

Also on Sal, a Swinhoe's Storm Petrel was ringed on 21 July. On Lanzarote, two Cape Verde Shearwaters were trapped and fitted with geolocators on 12 July. One of these birds had already been captured at the same site last year. This constitutes only the ninth record for Spain.

Cape Verde Shearwater Calonectris edwardsii, Lanzarote, Canary Islands, 12 July (Adrián Pina Hidalgo)

Since 2019, the Lesser Flamingo has become a regular visitor to the Mediterranean. A possible first breeding attempt for Northern Africa took place at the Monastir Saltpans in Tunisia, although it remains unknown whether the attempt was successful.

Middle East

Probably the same Three-banded Plover was seen again on 7 July at Amik Baraj Gölü, Hatay. This represents the third observation this year and, in all likelihood, still the first record for Türkiye. A West African Crested Tern was observed in western Türkiye. This is the country's second record, following the first last summer. It was clearly a different individual from the Sicilian bird seen earlier this month, as this bird was at a more advanced stage of moult. Since 2013, the Greater Painted Snipe has bred almost annually around Jizan, although usually with only one or two pairs. This year, breeding was confirmed near Jeddah, representing the northernmost breeding record for Saudi Arabia to date.

Greater Painted Snipe Rostrulata bengalensis, Jeddah, Saudi-Arabia, 23 June (Duha Alhashimi)

The Crystal Ball

August remains an excellent month for waders, with species such as the Sociable Lapwing and Greater Sand Plover likely to turn up. Seabird numbers continue to increase throughout the month, while tropical surprises remain possible, including Brown Booby and White-faced Storm Petrel.

White-faced Storm Petrel Pelagodroma marina, off Brava, Cape Verde, 3 May 2024 (Eduard Sangster)

Also more southerly species are possible, such as South Polar Skua, which is recorded annually from the famous sea watching site at Estaca de Bares in Spain. It is also worth keeping an eye out for Audouin's Gull. With the largest breeding colony now established on the Atlantic coast of Portugal, the species is becoming an increasingly likely visitor to countries bordering the North Sea. Rare raptors are possible, for instance juvenile Saker Falcons, which disperse after fledging and regularly reach Western Europe during August.

Saker Falcon Falco cherrug, Khalzan, Mongolia, 10 September 2023 (Eduard Sangster)

Rare swifts remain a distinct possibility in August, including both southern and eastern species. Songbird migration also gathers momentum, with August being a particularly productive month for Sykes's Warbler.

Sykes's Warbler Iduna rama, Taukum Desert, Kazakhstan, 8 May 2022 (Eduard Sangster)

We would like to thank all observers and photographers for their contributions to this report.

Eduard Sangster & Wim Wiegant